MOORESVILLE, N.C. — If there is a race track in the United States that Terry Gray hasn’t raced at or Johnny Gibson hasn’t announced at, one would be hard pressed to find it.
Gray and Gibson were among 12 individuals selected for induction into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame later this year.
Gray, 63, has raced sprint cars with success for more than 40 years, competing primarily as a privateer, owning and maintaining his equipment.
He was long past due in being elected to the Hall of Fame by its 72-member board, having been on the ballot for several years.
Growing up in the Memphis area, Gray’s father, Elmer, was a racer and Terry caught the bug at an early age, racing with and against the Swindells, Hoods and others who made the locals scene there so competitive. In fact, Gray’s sister, Amy, married Sammy Swindell.
Gray began racing in 1974 and scored his first big victory — a World of Outlaws feature — at Riverside Speedway in 1980.
Having won races with the Outlaws, USA and NCRA, Gray was among the first drivers to sign up when Emmett Hahn created the American Sprint Car Series.
Gray won the first series title in 1995 and followed it up with three more championships and 43 victories during a four-year period.
In 2001, he committed to the United Sprint Car Series and was immediately a frequent winner — both on dirt and asphalt. Since then, he’s won 13 USCS championships and continues to be the main attraction of the Atlanta-based 360 sprint car series.
Gibson, meanwhile, is a rock-and-roll enthusiast, who went from race chaser to traveling announcer to folk hero.
The voice of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series for the past 25 years, Gibson has announced at more tracks than most people have visited, and with the popularity of streaming video his voice has become known around the world.
Meanwhile, it would be interesting to know how many Hall of Famers Jack Kromer has photographed over the years. Kromer, a longtime Sprint Car & Midget Magazine photo contributor, was also selected for induction into the Hall of Fame.
Kromer, who honed his craft at New Jersey’s Flemington Speedway, has earned numerous photography awards and his work has appeared in countless magazines, programs and books.
When the Hall of Fame class was announced last month, all three were overshadowed by the selection of three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, who stole the headlines.
Stewart was elected to the Hall of Fame as a driver, though, his success behind the wheel of a sprint car pales in comparison to many of the sport’s regional greats such as Gray, Kansas ace Jon Johnson and others.
But that’s not to say Stewart doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame. He most definitely does.
Stewart’s contributions on the business and marketing side of the sport have been immense, highlighted by his nine World of Outlaws titles and 11 Knoxville Nationals crowns as a car owner and his successful revitalization of Ohio’s Eldora Speedway and the All Star Circuit of Champions.
Retired for more than two decades, Californian Tim Green, who won more than 200 features and two Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway championships, was also selected for the Hall of Fame.
The Little 500 clearly holds significance for the voting panel as this year’s final two driver inductees, Eric Gordon and Bob Frey, won the 500-lap race at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway 14 times between them.
California team owner Dennis Roth has been a fixture in winged sprint car racing since the early 1980s and a mainstay with the World of Outlaws tour since 1995. Danny Lasoski won the Knoxville Nationals in his car in 1998.
Roth, who will field entries for Kerry Madsen and James McFadden this season, was elected in the mechanics-builders/manufacturers category.
Also getting the nod from that category were legendary Pennsylvania car builder Ralph Heintzelman Sr. and longtime California car owner Walter Ross, who fielded cars for drivers such as Hank Butcher, Gary Patterson and LeRoy Van Conett.
Arguably the most influential and important reporter in the history of the Indianapolis 500, Robin Miller, a dirt racing enthusiast and occasional midget racer, was elected to the Sprint Car Hall of Fame, despite having never covered the beat on a regular basis.
The 12th member of the class is Walter “Slim” Rutherford, a car builder from the 1930s, who was elected in the pre-1945 category.
Nothing against Rutherford, but it’s 2022 and his accomplishments came nearly 100 years ago. It may be time to update the “old timers” category. Perhaps, pre-1970 would be a better designation as there remain plenty of deserving individuals from the 1960s and ’70s who have yet to be recognized by the Hall of Fame.